Washington D.C. – Uyghur Times, Mar. 26, 2026
Ottawa press conference urges Prime Minister Mark Carney to prioritize Huseyin Celil’s immediate release from Chinese prison and family reunion after two decades of separation.
On March 26, 2026, Uyghur activists and Canadian parliamentarians held a press conference on Parliament Hill to mark the 20th anniversary of the unlawful detention of Canadian citizen Huseyin Celil and to urge the Canadian government to prioritize his immediate release from a Chinese prison.
Celil, a Uyghur human rights advocate, was detained in Uzbekistan in 2006 and rendered to China, where he was sentenced to life imprisonment on charges of “separatism.” China does not recognize his Canadian citizenship, and he has been denied consular access and family contact for years. He has now spent over 20 years behind bars.
Mehmet Tohti, Executive Director of the Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project, stated:
“Today marks 20 years since the disappearance and a continued imprisonment of Canadian citizen Huseyin Celil by the People’s Republic of China. 20 years without a single phone call. 20 years without a voice, 20 years without single counselor access. 20 years without a Canadian father speaking to his Canadian-born children and his Canadian wife… This is more than enough. This is not a political statement. This is a human one.”
He added: “We respectfully appeal to… Prime Minister Mark Carney to invite Mr. Celil’s children and the family to his office and to share that moment visibly and sincerely with Chinese officials. This would be a gesture of humanity that transcends politics.”
Alex Neve, international human rights law expert at the University of Ottawa and former Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada, said:
“It is staggering to realize it has been 20 years since Huseyin Celil’s nightmare began… 20 years of being apart from Camila, 20 years during which his four young sons have grown up without a father.”
